The Championship 2018/19 - Play-off final

Sheffield United really impressed me when they played us a few weeks back in that mad 3-3.

British manager and pretty much a British squad so knocking it long into the corners right and play for set pieces? Wrong.

They knocked the ball around our pitch aswell as Leeds did and I've also seen them play well against better teams in this league on TV loads of times, the play their 3-5-2 almost as well as Wolves did last season even if they don't quite have the same quality.

Big chance for them now with Leeds faltering to get automatic.
 
FootyGirl88 said:
What's happened to Leeds, they run out of steam or something?
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Hmmm it's a tricky one to answer the Championship is a proper marathon 46 matches, you don't play so many games without going on a couple of bad runs unless you are a really exceptional team - which Leeds are not. Then you have the fact that the Championship is easily the most competitive league out there - there are hardly any easy games to be had. It's impossible to really call a lot of the results every matchday - Brentford looked Barcelonaeque at times beating Hull 5-1 on Saturday today we looked Bishop Stortfordeque losing 2-0 to Sheff Wednesday.

I would say its a combination of the amount of games you have to play and Bielsa's high pressing game, the competiveness of the league and Leeds not actually being as good as they like to thin they are.
 
FootballHQ said:
Sheffield United really impressed me when they played us a few weeks back in that mad 3-3.

British manager and pretty much a British squad so knocking it long into the corners right and play for set pieces? Wrong.

They knocked the ball around our pitch aswell as Leeds did and I've also seen them play well against better teams in this league on TV loads of times, the play their 3-5-2 almost as well as Wolves did last season even if they don't quite have the same quality.

Big chance for them now with Leeds faltering to get automatic.
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Chris Wilder is an extremely talented manager! He took my home town team (Northampton) from certs to get relegated out of the football league to automatic promotion in little over a year- playing some of the best football I've seen at that level!
 
FootyGirl88 said:
What's happened to Leeds, they run out of steam or something?
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Well after 34 games they've got more points in the last 17 than they did in the first 17 (34 vs 30). 3rd place after each.

Splitting the season into two like that there's been no overall decline, a slight improvement in fact . They did win 7 on the bounce in late November and through most of December so I guess they've slumped from that sort of form. On the other hand you might say that was atypical of their results this season and they followed that up by losing 4 of the next 5 to redress the balance of that hot streak.

Following that it was 10 points in their last 5 before tonight which is alright, (well it's league leading form) although the points they dropped were in the two big games they played v 'Boro and Norwich.

Looking at the fixtures they have some important ones up soon; WBA, Bristol C and Sheff Utd in 3 of their next 4.
 
Leeds lost Kemar Roofe with ligament injury so that's a blow as they haven't actually been hugely prolific scorers for a top level team.

Traditionally at this level in last 10 years like Derby they've always faded from good position in the table from January so guess that's a mental issue for some of their longer serving players.

I do get the feeling they are not a lock for top 2 anymore. Could still get through the play offs.
 
Sheffield United will cause upsets in the PL if they are to be promoted, definitely not another Huddersfield or Cardiff. There's such a buzz around the place at the moment it'd be a big shame if they were to miss out
 
J_XO said:
Sheffield United will cause upsets in the PL if they are to be promoted, definitely not another Huddersfield or Cardiff. There's such a buzz around the place at the moment it'd be a big shame if they were to miss out
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Would like to see some "new" teams in the premier league so yes get Sheffield United and Bristol City up as they've shown their quality in the cup runs they've had in last two seasons and Bristol long been a dormant football city.

Boro or WBA coming up just to try to scrap to 40 points would bore me to tears as a neutral, we've seen enough of both in prem in last few years.
 
FootballHQ said:
Would like to see some "new" teams in the premier league so yes get Sheffield United and Bristol City up as they've shown their quality in the cup runs they've had in last two seasons and Bristol long been a dormant football city.

Boro or WBA coming up just to try to scrap to 40 points would bore me to tears as a neutral, we've seen enough of both in prem in last few years.
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Spot on. Very boring to see the same sides recently relegated coming straight back up only for them to go down again. There's been some awful awful games in the PL in recent seasons due to this. Hopefully next season will be refreshing
 
Anyone watching Leeds v West Brom?

Leeds 1-0 up after a minute Fantastic goal.
 
FireballXL5 said:
Anyone watching Leeds v West Brom?

Leeds 1-0 up after a minute Fantastic goal.
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Yep, great goal, really want to see Leeds back in the premiership, will add some real bite to a fixture, rather than a lot of these fairly nondescript teams that have been promoted recently.
 
Bold prediction, West Brom not to finish in the top 6.
 
Some interesting hairstyles on the Leeds team. Look like a bunch of hipsters.
 
Watched the Leeds game in a grimy pub in rural Somerset. So many Leeds fans around here apparently. But also local. Young lads in their 20s who have never known Leeds to be any good and have grown up 200 miles away. What reason is there to support Leeds other than them being your local side? And not just one or two. This was about 20 young lads with local farmer accents. Proper weird.

They play good stuff though, to give them credit. But I hope they make a bollocks of it and crash out of the playoffs.
 
OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
Watched the Leeds game in a grimy pub in rural Somerset. So many Leeds fans around here apparently. But also local. Young lads in their 20s who have never known Leeds to be any good and have grown up 200 miles away. What reason is there to support Leeds other than them being your local side? And not just one or two. This was about 20 young lads with local farmer accents. Proper weird.

They play good stuff though, to give them credit. But I hope they make a bollocks of it and crash out of the playoffs.
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Bielsa is the hipster's manager of choice.
 
Aston Villa, Brentford, Hull, Reading, Norwich, Rotherham, Stoke and Swansea win, while Preston and Wigan draw.
 
Apart from Norwich who really deserve to go up, no team have been constant during the season. Sheffield United are still favourite to finish 2nd though, imo.
 
Not sure you can say that. Everyone seems to have had ups and downs and Leeds have been the most constant team in the championship. Apart from one match day Leeds have never been out of the top 3 and have been first for way over half the season. Given they're 2 points above Sheffield Utd and still get to play them at Elland Road I'd give Leeds the (slight) advantage.
 
Ekkie Thump said:
Not sure you can say that. Everyone seems to have had ups and downs and Leeds have been the most constant team in the championship. Apart from one match day Leeds have never been out of the top 3 and have been first for way over half the season. Given they're 2 points above Sheffield Utd and still get to play them at Elland Road I'd give Leeds the (slight) advantage.
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Norwich had started badly, but then they have been in the first 3 positions since october.
 
Hopefully this win can be decisive for Norwich to get promoted. They haven't been able to make the decisive stop so far.
 
Leeds are back in the second place after beating a tricky Bristol City, while WBA seem to have given up. Derby County don't take advantage of Bristol's defeat and draw 1-1 against Sheffield Wednesday. Brentford still hoping for the playoffs after winning away to Middlesbrough. Bolton are back in the fight to avoid relegation with a 2-1 win against Millwall. Nottingham-Hull 3-0, Q.P.R.-Stoke 0-0, Reading-Wigan 3-2, Blackburn-Preston 0-1 and Sheffield United-Rotherham 2-0.
 
Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87 said:
Leeds are back in the second place after beating a tricky Bristol City, while WBA seem to have given up. Derby County don't take advantage of Bristol's defeat and draw 1-1 against Sheffield Wednesday. Brentford still hoping for the playoffs after winning away to Middlesbrough. Bolton are back in the fight to avoid relegation with a 2-1 win against Millwall. Nottingham-Hull 3-0, Q.P.R.-Stoke 0-0, Reading-Wigan 3-2, Blackburn-Preston 0-1 and Sheffield United-Rotherham 2-0.
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Thanks for the update
 
A Birmingham fan just ran on the pitch and punched Grealish in the head from behind. Stewards took him off (the fan).

Grealish was fine but I genuinely think if a fan does that, the players should get a free pass in being able to kick the shit out of him.
 
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